Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky

 

Isn't that a lovely cover?  Maybe you can't judge a book by it's cover, but a good cover will definitely make you want to pick up the book and read it.  That was the case for me with Juniper Berry  by

M.P. Kozlowsky.  Last year, my son's second grade teacher was letting the kids pick a book to keep from a stack she had for student gifts.  I found myself wishing I was in her class and could pick this one.  Instead, I went right to Amazon to buy my own.

 

This is a wonderfully written cautionary tale about resisting the temptation to take the easy way in life.  Juniper's parents have become world famous actors, but they don't seem like Juniper's parents any more.  They have changed and it is most obvious when she looks into their blank eyes.  Perhaps this is also a book about parents who become so caught up in their work and with their own lives that they forget to give their children the attention they need.  Juniper takes it upon herself to discover the cause and save her parents.

 

I just love books with a female hero.  They just weren't that common when I was a kid and I feel particularly drawn to them now.  I am so grateful that my daughter will have so many wonderful heroines to emulate.  This book will be joining the stack intended for our family summer reading.  I hope the kids will like it as much as I did.